Sinner's Isle is a powerful fantasy debut from both Angela Montoya and Joy Revolution! I have enjoyed all of Joy Revolution's works so far, and to have such an emotional and poignant fantasy story following strong brown boys and girls means so much to me. I enjoyed following Rosa on her journey to save her fellow Majestics and break out of the Isle, no matter the cost. The themes of solidarity and sisterhood against abuse and the patriarchy were all very powerful. The romance between Rosa and Mariano was also very sweet, and although the soulmate trope doesn't always interest me in fantasy books, it was beautifully done in this one! I look forward to Angela Montoya's future works.

Set sail and get marooned on Sinner’s Isle! This debut fantasy is lush with dark magic, an immersive culture and romance. Pirates and witches, adventure at every turn, spunky side characters, Dual POV - I loved this gripping tale!

Thank you Angela Montoya for taking us on this journey! Thank you to Joy Revolution and NetGalley for this ARC!

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend

For a debut, this is a really good book that I hope ends up becoming a series. There is so much more to unpack and discover.

You have an island where women who have magical powers are kept and chosen on their seventeenth birthday to serve men and do their bidding. Our main character wants to get out, travel, see the world she has been denied. You have our main character's soon to be love interest escaping from a raid and ending up on the island. Burdened with hate from the death of his mother, you can already know how their meeting is going to go when they clash. There is also a magical amulet thrown into this as well which points to your heart desire.

I ENGULFED this book like it was chocolate. I was really shocked this was the debut book for the author. You could feel he heat of the atmosphere - both emotional and physical. The magic is fun, the supporting characters are too. There is also some twists and turns, plus some really good lgbtq rep.

As I said, I hope this ends up being a series because it ends in such a way that you can't be content with that ending. You just want to know more. Let me know more of this world, Ms. Montoya. I'll certainly be pitching this to people who like Pirates of the Caribbean and romances.

This is such a gorgeously written YA fantasy full of magic, pirates, power, and romance. The publisher's note says you'll want to read it in one sitting and that's exactly what happened. Rosa is the most powerful Majestic on Sinner's Island where witches are trapped until they're auctioned off to the highest bidder. Mariano is the Prince of Pirates looking to avenge his father's death and following a magical amulet from his mother that is supposed to take him to what he most desires. And it takes him to Rosa. I loved reading about her shadow magic and how her relationship with it had been corrupted as she was trained as a weapon. It was heartbreaking and then hopeful has she envisions a better future where she and the other witches are free to make their own decisions. The romance was lovely, building from initial attraction to true understanding and appreciation as Rosa and Mariano learned about each other and helped each other. There are so many layers here with respect to politics, power, feminism, violence, and religion that I don't know if I even picked up on everything during the first read. Looking forward to rereading when I get my hardcover! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read early!

This was such a good book! The characters were full of life and so interesting. I love when stories keep moving and I get sucked more and more into the characters journey and this book really did that. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

Rosalinda, a Majestic (witch) with control over powerful shadows, has spent much of her life on Sinner's Isle, where Majestics are kept away from the rest of society. That is, until the Offering arrives, and they are bought and bonded to wealthy and powerful men who can control the Majestics and their powers. Rosalinda desperately wants to escape before that happens, but when she and her best friend Juana are caught, their guardian Dona Lucia holds Juana captive as a means of ensuring that Rosa will do what she's told. But when Mariano, the Prince of Pirates, is shipwrecked on the island, Rosa blackmails him into helping her, and the clash of their personalities fails to hide a growing attraction.

I enjoyed this mixture of witches, pirates, and romance within a deeply patriarchal society that really needed to be smashed. Rosa is a strong, determined character with incredible power that has been tamped down by the people who control Sinner's Isle, and past experience has caused her to fear what she might do with all that power, so it's good to see her learn to trust herself and her potential over the course of the book. Mariano fills the part of romantic lead well, though he lacks a little depth; his sidekick Santi definitely steals the show and has a more profound character arc. The villains of the book are predictable in their villainy and pretty one-sided, aside from Dona Lucia.

Not the strongest "smash the patriarchy" fantasy I've read, but definitely an enjoyable one. 4 stars.

Thank you, Penguin Random House and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.